Strawberries need your care even after harvest

Yes, June is the month when we all enjoy wonderful strawberries. But now is the time when you need to take care of strawberries again and to make sure that you can enjoy great strawberries next year as well. Strawberry plants need to be renewed every three years: replace them with young plants, as the old ones are not able to give you a good harvest. But regardless whether you’re going to keep your old plants or replace them, you need to provide the necessary care.

Care for plants that you still want to keep

If you want to keep certain plants and enjoy a satisfactory harvest next year you need to cut off all rhizomes. First, loosen the soil and remove all weeds. Water and fertilize each plant well. If you notice leaves affected by spotting (Mycospharella fragariae) remove them and only leave the hearts of seedlings. Some gardeners even recommend cutting the entire bed to increase the yield next year.

Photo: Pixabay

Making new strawberry beds

If you’ve had your strawberries for the third year, you need to replace them. The most suitable time to plant new seedlings is in July because plants still have enough time to get strong and survive the winter easily and give you enough fruit next year. It is recommended to use rhizomes that healthy plants produce.

Working with seedlings

One-year old mother plants are good source of rhizomes: but make sure they are really healthy and produce enough fruit. You should remove new seedlings and transplant them in the morning or in the evening, when the sun is not burning (preferably when the weather is cloudy). Since strawberries usually create many rhizomes you can get seedlings from pretty much anyone who grows strawberries. Do not be afraid to ask as a very few people use all rhizomes for seedlings.

Preview photo: Pixabay